Students in middle school may have an easier time earning high school credit under legislation supported by Naperville-area lawmakers awaiting the governor’s signature.
House Bill 4239 helps implement a law approved last year under which middle school students may receive high school credit for courses offered by the high school they will attend.
If signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, students in seventh and eighth grades can take high school-level classes at their existing middle school as long as the teacher holds a professional educator license and is endorsed for the course’s grade level and content area.
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said the idea for the legislation came from Indian Prairie District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley.
Talley said when he started at Indian Prairie six years ago, he wondered why middle school students studying algebra, geometry or world languages were not earning credit that could be added to their high school transcript.
“I did not find it fair to our students in middle school who were taking the same course that their high school peers were taking, were taking the same exams their high school peers were taking, but they were not earning high school credit,” Talley said. “Two years ago I contacted Rep. Yang Rohr and said we need to change the rules.”
More than 800 students a year were taking high school-level math in middle school but not receiving the high school credit, he said.
In one example, a student who moved out of state after having taken algebra in middle school was required to retake the class at his new school because it wasn’t listed as part of his earned high school credits, Talley said.
“Let’s document the fact they’ve earned the high school credit and give them their dues for all the hard work they’ve done,” he said.
District 204 plans to implement the state law in the 2026-27 school year.
Students taking high school courses in middle school are more likely to reach higher level math, such as Advanced Placement calculus, or take several years of a world language, becoming more fluent, Talley said.
Yang Rohr, the bill’s House sponsor, said another benefit to the legislation is that it opens up more course opportunities in high school. Students can take high school classes in music, art, career and technical education or whatever interests them without having to worry about an elective taking a slot for a class mandated to graduate, she said.
“If you look at the course book for high school, it’s really interesting,” Yang Rohr said. “You can try nursing or education, and you can try it while you are in high school. When there are so many requirements that have to be done in high school, it made it tough to take those (elective) classes.”
It also opens the door for students interested in enrolling in more dual credit or Advanced Placement courses in high school through which they can potentially earn college credits.
More Top Picks Best Battery Powered Lawn Mowers
“We both recognize the importance of this bill so that motivated students can take full advantage of all of the course work that is or could be available to them,” said state Sen. Laura Ellman, D-Naperville, who helped advance the bill in the Senate.
Ellman cited a requirement for foreign language to graduate high school.
“If a student can get that knocked out while they are in junior high, then that gives them more opportunity for the great amount of courses that are available in high school, electives they might not otherwise be able to take advantage of because they are working on required courses,” she said.
There are chances to take a deep dive into various history or literature classes beyond general education requirements, or for students to discover their passions or potential career pathways, Ellman said.
“In my (senate) district, our high schools offer so many interesting classes,” she said. “I’m sure there are some students who would love to take them all.”
Naperville School District 203 plans to implement the program in the fall for eighth-grade students.
Many middle schoolers were already taking the equivalent of a first year of Spanish or French or honors math that mirrored high school algebra, said Jayne Willard, D203 assistant superintendent for curriculum. Students in the Project IDEA Plus program, which is offered for top-performing students, also were learning high school geometry in eighth grade, she said.
Colleges and universities looking at D203 transcripts and seeing freshmen started high school with a second year of language or advanced math already assume the district offers a rigorous academic course load, Willard said.
Ensuring the middle school work is credited to a students’ high school transcript will affirm it, and it becomes more official, she said.
“It’s a nice little bonus to have on their transcript,” she said. “I don’t foresee students graduating any earlier because they have these credits, but it does open up their course selection to really explore some more courses in the area of college and career pathways, electives, because it does now show the official transcript has these credits.”
Yang Rohr said the legislation helps make high school classes more accessible throughout the state no matter if a student is enrolled in a K-12 district or belongs to separate elementary and high school districts.
Yang Rohr said the Illinois State Board Of Education was helpful in crafting the language so it would make the most sense.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.